Film critic, Michael Medved is aware that by publishing his book, "Hollywood verses America", he will not only enrage mostly everyone in the show business industry, but he will also loose some of his friends because of what he wrote. His strongly opinionated critique of popular culture examines the recent shift in the content of today's television, films, music and art. He has gathered statistics and opinions as well as shared personal experiences, all to illustrate one major point; popular cult...

'Excellence', 'popularity', 'typicality' - discuss the relative merits of each of these as a basis for the inclusion of films in a film history Any attempt to study film history requires the consideration of films, which occur within the categories of excellence, popularity and typicality. They are three very different approaches to film history; 'excellence' covering films recognised as having artistic merit, 'popularity' covering films which have been financially or sociologically successful a...

Arguably the most popular - and certainly the busiest - movie leading man in Hollywood history, John Wayne entered the film business while working as a laborer on the Fox Studios lot during summer vacations from university, which he attended on a football scholarship. He met and was befriended by John Ford, a young director who was beginning to make a name for himself in action films, comedies, and dramas. Wayne was cast in small roles in Ford's late-'20's films, occasionally under the name Duke...

The decade of the 1930's can be characterized in two parts: The Great Depression, and the restoration of the American economy. America had been completely destroyed due to the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It was up to the government and people of the 1930's to "mend" Americas wounds. One man stood up to this challenge, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He promised to fix the American economy, provide jobs, and help the needy. During The Great Depression, the crime rate had risen to an all new high. J. E...

"Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau once compared liking next to the United States to sleeping with an elephant. He said, 'You cannot help but be aware of its every movement. ' " web issue of American culture and its globalization has raised a lot of controversy. "The era of globalization" is becoming the preferred term to describe the current times. The term Americanization has been around for years. It was first used when the United States was being heavily immigrated into. The new ...

James Agee wrote that "the finest pantomime, the deepest emotion, the richest and most poignant poetry were in Chaplin's work". Andrew S arris called Chaplin "the single most important artist produced by cinema, certainly its most extraordinary performer, and probably still its most universal icon". In a career spanning half a century, the soaring flicker of the Chaplin myth has been immense, enveloping both the cinema and world culture in its glow. The laughter he brought to the lives of others...

One should question just why it was that Mario Moreno's film persona, Cantinflas, was the most popular film star in Mexican history. How was it that all Mexicans recognized Moreno? On what level did he relate to them all? The answer lies in his obvious charisma and the dedication he displayed. Due to his charm Moreno was able to get Mexicans to embrace their rich mestizo heritage and begin to deal with the tremendous growing pains experienced by the maturing nation. His immense popularity allowe...